Jemison, 47, joined the city of Detroit in 2014, previously serving as the deputy director of the department of housing and community development in Massachusetts. Before that, he served in various governmental roles in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

Since joining Mayor Mike Duggan's administration, he has been active in affordable housing issues and development and pursuing a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods grant to redevelop the site of the Brewster-Douglass housing projects at Mack Avenue and I-75, among other big projects. The city lost out on the grant nearly a year ago but is getting ready to make another attempt.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a master's from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He spoke with Crain's Detroit Business reporter Kirk Pinho last week about his upcoming new job.

Q: What's going to be your main priority?

A: It's going to be creating jobs in the city, both through expansion of local businesses that are here already and businesses that are joining our community. That's the main thrust.

Also, using our real estate assets and the expertise of our organization to create those partnerships.

Q: Do you still envision yourself being involved with the Choice Neighborhoods process?

A: In the last submittal for Choice, the DEGC was our Neighborhood Implementation Entity. We expect the same to be the case. We have already engaged members of DEGC's team about the application again. The application goes in on Nov. 22 and so I'll be here (with the city) to put it in on behalf of the city and a few weeks later, and I will join the DEGC.

Q: What are your top three priorities?

A: The top three are going to be identify those deals that give us the best chance to grow or attract new businesses. The city and DEGC have worked together on Flex-N-Gate and Sakthi and on other projects, and we have more of that in the pipeline. That will be No. 1. We have a planning effort in Eastern Market that's both important to planning and our ability to grow the food sector. I'm also interested in pursuing a deeper partnership with the workforce side of the house. Also, I want to work on connecting with the great internal assets of the organization that we have.

Q: I'd be stupid if I didn't ask about Amazon. What do you see your role in that process to be moving forward?

A: I'm part of the team that's working with Bedrock in the chase. Jed Howbert (executive director, Jobs and Economy Team) has been deeply involved and the DEGC staff members and business development have been deeply involved, but the people who have been driving it are city and DEGC staff members. I have been brought into the loop on it.

Q: There has been reported tension between the city and DEGC in the last several years. What's your take on that?

A: I have had a chance to observe it and, to be honest with you, and maybe it's my workstyle, but I have not really observed that to the degree it's been covered. Staff and leadership over there at the DEGC have been doing great work, and I haven't seen it to the degree it's been covered. In taking this new job, I went through vigorous interviews and meetings with the board. There was a rigorous process. I feel like I went through the process that people would expect a major entity to go through.

Q: One of your big pushes has been for 20 percent of the housing units coming to market be affordable. What's your role in that in your new job?

A: The DEGC provides the underwriting analysis. It will continue to do that. It will also have some new deals they will pursue. We are going to continue to do it where the DEGC has property or is working with developers. Two of the larger developers in town (Bedrock LLC and Olympia Development of Michigan) have bought in in different ways to doing 20 percent and I expect will do the same. Making sure there is equitable growth is going to be consistent.

Q: Why the job switch?

A: I love housing. But when you're on the economic development side, you're more a part of making markets and what drives the place of commercial uses. Our city is unique in that we have been the industrial engine of the country, so you find yourself having to sell one thing or the other. What's unique now is that we have a thriving downtown and striving neighborhoods that are transforming themselves. We are beginning to have a kind of pitch we can make, but also the opportunities in manufacturing that really speak to our origins of the city and the origin of our growth and we are going to be able to make progress there too. It's a dream job.